One Minute Can Last Forever
by Ijin Hime
Summary: Cloti Cloud and Tifa were two spoiled rich kids who absolutely wanted to gut each other. But with deep family secrets and binding deception, in the end, no one knows who's right and who's wrong...
1. Default Chapter

  
  
Hello to whoever is reading this! Thank you for taking the time to read my story! Okay, I'll get to the description! This story has absolutely NOTHING to do with final fantasy 7. I only used some of the characters that the great Squaresoft created, and wrote this here fanfic! It mainly focus' on Tifa Lockheart and Cloud Strife. But some of the others in the final fantasy 7 crew make an appearance as the two's best friends and maybe a bit more.But if you want to know more about that, you have to read it! Okay, this story is about two childhood friends that grew up together. They don't get along to great and love to pull pranks on each other. But as they grow up, they start to feel more towards each other. Could it be love or just a strong bond? Well whatever it is, it is put to a test to see if they were ment to be together or not. Many things start getting into the picture. Will they find out what they feel before it's too late? Well, sometimes a minute can last forever!  
  
Quote: Every passing minute is another chance to turn it all around. (I love that quote!)  
  
Chapter One: Our First  
  
"Hey! Let go of that! It's mine!" A young little girl shouted as a little boy with silver hair tried to grasp her Barbie doll out of her hands.  
  
"Hey, Cloud! Look at this action figure! My mommy bought it for me a few day- Cloud!!" A little boy shouted after his blonde friend.  
  
Cloud ran out of the line and stopped in front of the crying little girl.  
  
"Give that back to her!" He shouted, breathing heavily.  
  
"No!" The little boy shouted as he began to tear the head off.  
  
"You better!" Cloud shouted.  
  
"Oh, yeah? What are you gonna do abouts it??" the little boy said to Cloud, as he neared him.  
  
"I'll tell you what I'm gonna do abouts it! I'll tell Mrs. Smith!!" Cloud hissed at the boy.  
  
Suddenly a hint of fear ran over the little boy's face. He then did his best to place the head back on to the body and gave it back to the beautiful crying girl. She looked up at them through wet and shiny wine colored eyes. She grabbed her Barbie doll and stared as the head rolled off its body. Her eyes immediately began to water all over again as she burst into some more tears.  
  
"My Barbie!! Looks what you did to its!!! It's never gonna get fixed!!" The little girl complained through tears.  
  
Cloud stared at the crying girl and then at the silver haired boy. The other little boy just shrugged.  
  
"What?! I gave it backs! So don't tell Mrs. Smith!" He shouted at Cloud.  
  
"He give it back, so stop crying already! Your being a cry baby!" Cloud shouted as he covered his ears.  
  
The little girl looked at him and began to cry even more until an older women with wavy short blonde hair and green eyes, came running over. She was quite fat and was wearing a blue t-shirt with a pair of jeans.  
  
"What happened, sweetie?" She asked the little girl that was still in a fit of tears from all the teasing she got.  
  
The little girl stopped crying immediately and pointed to Cloud and the boy beside him with silver hair. The women glanced over at them, slightly glaring. They were her trouble makers and it was nothing new.  
  
"Tifa honey, what did Sephiroth and Cloud do to you?" the teacher asked softly.  
  
"They-hic-hurt my Barbie-hic-and called me-a-hic-a cry baby!! Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!!" Tifa replied, and after that she burst into more tears.  
  
"Miss, I swear I didn't do nothing!! It's Sephiroth! He pulled off the head from the stupid Barbie, not me!!" Cloud shouted, trying to sound innocent.  
  
He kept pointing his finger at Sephiroth while he spoke and the teacher obviously did not believe any of this. They would always do that when they got in trouble. They would blame each other for everything.  
  
"Sephiroth, is Cloud telling the truth?" The teacher asked the silver haired boy.  
  
"No! He's lying! And he swears!! That's not allowed! I didn't do nothing! Cloud just doesn't want to get in troubles! But I saw him take the head off from the Barbie! Yup, yup!" Sephiroth finished, also pointing his finger at Cloud who was standing in the corner, shaking his head for everything Sephiroth said.  
  
The teacher stared at them, with one of her hands patting Tifa on the back, trying to comfort her.  
  
"Tifa, what did Sephiroth do?" The teacher said, now looking at the sobbing girl.  
  
"He-hic-took Barbie's-hic-head off!!!" Tifa shouted, through sniffles and tears.  
  
"Okay, now what did Cloud do?" The teacher asked, as she threw a glare and frown at Sephiroth, who was denying it.  
  
"He- hic-he called me a cry baby!!" Tifa replied.  
  
The teacher threw a quick glare at Cloud, who didn't seem to care that much.  
  
"Cloud! Pay attention!" The teacher yelled at him.  
  
Cloud jolted and looked at the teacher with innocent pleading eyes.  
  
"Miss, I told dumb Sephiroth to give her stupid Barbie back! He gave it back, but she wouldn't stop crying!!" Cloud cried defensively.  
  
"Tifa? Did Cloud do that?" The teacher asked sweetly.  
  
Tifa looked up at the teacher and she nodded, as her now red eyes shed some more tears.  
  
"See? I was good! It was Sephiroth! He was being bad!" Cloud shouted gleefully.  
  
"Cloud, why did you call her a crybaby?" The teacher asked sternly.  
  
"Umm.well.cause.she wouldn't stop crying!" Cloud shouted, knowing that the teacher had won him over.  
  
"Sephiroth, why did you rip Tifa's Barbie doll's head off?" The teacher asked Sephiroth, now looking at him.  
  
"Because I hate Barbie! I hate pink! She looks ugly so I wanted to kill the pink!" Sephiroth shouted, also knowing that he was caught.  
  
"Tifa, I know you're new here, but one of our class rules is that no toys are allowed in the classroom. I'm going to have to put you three in the corner during play time today. You have to learn! Come on now class, everyone inside! Tifa please get off the floor, you'll get dirty!" The teacher shouted at the whole class.  
  
"Zack! What did I just say about toys?! Would you like to join them?" The teacher said sternly to the boy who was talking to Cloud earlier.  
  
He quickly put the toy into his backpack and shrugged at Cloud.  
  
What do you think so far? And if your wondering about the grammar in their speech, well they are around 5, so I did it purposely! Review it please! More chapters on its way! 


	2. Friends Or Enemies?

  
  
Yay! I got reviews! Thank you, thank you! I'm so happy that you liked it! *celebrates*^___^! Okay, back to the story. Well, the beginning is kind of a flashback, or an idea of how Cloud and Tifa (and more!) met! Well, there are more characters that are going to be added, but I'm not going to give it away! Just keep reading! And reviewing! It makes me feel all warm inside! Plus, this chapter will be kind of longer then the other one! By the way, some of the characters may be out of character! ^___^  
  
Chapter Two: Friends or Enemies?  
  
"Tifa! Tifa! Come play with us!!" a little girl with light brown hair and big beautiful wide green eyes shouted.  
  
"Hi!" Tifa shouted as she made her way across the large playing field towards the two girls, one with short brown hair and light brown eyes and the other one that had shouted to her.  
  
"My name's Aeris! And this is Yuffie! You're new?" The one with the green eyes asked.  
  
"Yeah, my mommy and daddy just moved here." Tifa replied.  
  
"Oh! Okay! Come and play wif us! We're playing tag! Want to play wif us?" Aeris continued.  
  
"Okay!" Tifa shouted, overjoyed by the fact of having new friends.  
  
"Lets go th-TIFA!" Aeris said, trying to finish her sentence, but a young blonde boy came by and threw a rock at Tifa.  
  
"Ouch!! Who did thats??" Tifa shouted as she rubbed the back of her head and turned around to face the person responsible.  
  
"Cloud! Why did you do that to her??" Yuffie shouted at him.  
  
"Cause she told on me! Tattletale!" He shouted as he stuck out his tongue at all three of them.  
  
"I'm going to tell on you for that!!" Tifa shouted after him.  
  
**~~~~**  
  
A few years later. (Grade 4 to be more precise)  
  
"Now, take out your math notebooks and begin writing this down." An old and skinny lady said as she wrote on the board.  
  
The class obeyed as they scanned their desks for their notebooks and pencils.  
  
"Ouch! Miss! Cloud is throwing spit balls at me again!!!" A beautiful brunette haired girl said as she pulled out a wet paper ball out of her hair.  
  
"Ewwwww!!" She shouted as she tried to get it off her fingers.  
  
"Cloud! What did I tell you about spitballs in class?! You are to see the principle during recess!" The old and scrawny teacher yelled at a blonde haired boy sitting across from Tifa.  
  
Tifa turned around, facing the boy, and stuck out her tongue at him. Cloud just glared at her.  
  
**~~~~** Later On, In the Evening  
  
"But mom! She's a girl! Girls have germs and cooties! And they play with stupid dolls!" Cloud shouted to his mom as she cooked dinner.  
  
"Honey, the Lockhearts are very kind people and your dad has known Mr. Lockheart from his childhood." His mom replied as she placed some roast beef into the large oven.  
  
"But mom! That girl is nothing but evil! She always rats on me and I always get in trouble!!" Cloud kept saying to his mother.  
  
"Cloud dear, it's because you're always trying to hurt her! I'm sure she's a very well behaved young girl and you two will get along just great! Plus, many of the other families are coming to join us for this celebration! You're dad is so happy that he got promoted, at least let him have his break!" His mother shouted back as she stirred some mashed potatoes.  
  
"Mom, you don't know her! She's evil I tell you! She'll ruin this stupid party and it will all be my fault somehow! We never get along! You have no idea what she does in class! She bothers me!" Cloud argued, getting frustrated.  
  
"Honey, I've had enough, the Lockhearts are coming over and you're going to behave yourself and be very friendly towards that girl, you hear me?" His mother shouted, now tasting the mashed potatoes.  
  
"But-! Oh fine! But I'm not talking to her!" Cloud shouted, but his mom didn't seem to be paying attention as she pulled out some vegetables to cut.  
  
*~~~~*  
  
"Mommy, I can't go! Please don't drag me there! PLEASE! I don't want to go! Call that evil babysitter instead! Anything other then going to the Strifes! PLEASE MOMMY!!" Tifa was begging her mom as grabbed a large plate covered in paper foil.  
  
"Oh, sweetie, everything will be fine! The Gainsboroughs, the Highwinds, the Kisaragis and every family that exists in the neighborhood is going to be there! We have to go!" Her mother responded.  
  
"But mom their son is evil! He's evil I swear! He wants to kill me! Mommy please don't make me go! PLEASE!!!" Tifa pleaded as she dragged along with Mrs. Lockheart.  
  
"That's enough! You are going either you like it or not! Their son is quite charming and I'm sure you two will get along perfectly! I don't want to hear anymore of this nonsense!" Mrs. Lockheart said quite sternly.  
  
Tifa let out a deep sigh and simply nodded in agreement, without a choice.  
  
*~~~~~~~*  
  
"Look at her walking in. Her and her stupid friends. I hate her so much! That stupid tattletale! If she even tries to tell on me, I'm going to cut all her Barbie's hair off and rip their heads off!" Cloud whispered silently to his friends; Zack, Cid, Sephiroth, Vincent and Barret.  
  
They all nodded in agreement, with an evil smile on their faces as Tifa, Aeris and Yuffie walked in with their parents behind them.  
  
"Oh! Hello, hello! You're just in time! Please come in and have a seat! The dinner is almost ready! Oh, and this must be Tifa! Oh, she's absolutely adorable! And that's Aeris! Oh my, they all look so cute in those dresses! And the shy one must be Yuffie! Simply irresistible!" Mrs. Strife said as the girls all hid behind their parents.  
  
"Oh, and here's a little present for you! Congratulations on the promotion!" Mrs. Lockheart said as she handed Mrs. Strife a plate with paper foil on it and a neatly wrapped gift.  
  
"Where are you're kids? I hear they are completely adorable!" Mrs. Gainsborough said, looking in the large beautiful house.  
  
"Oh, I'll get them! Cloud dear! Come out, we want to see you!" Mrs. Strife called out into the house.  
  
Not soon after had Cloud, Zack, Cid, Sephiroth, Vincent and Barret walked towards Mrs. Strife.  
  
"Oh my! They are simply adorable!" Mrs. Gainsborough shouted as she saw all of them come out wearing a tux.  
  
"Please do come in!" Mrs. Strife added, as she led them into the dining room.  
  
The dining room was quite large with a beautiful wooden table and very fancy chairs. The fancy cabinets had very fancy plates, cups, glasses, forks, spoons, knives and more inside of the glass cabinet door. There was a chandelier to light the dining room. The 3 girls and their parents slowly made their way in.  
  
"Please, have a seat!" A man, which looked like he was in his 30's, with blonde hair and dark green eyes said as he gestured them to the chairs that surrounded the large table.  
  
There already were some older people sitting on the chairs, chatting away. Tifa clutched her moms dress, trying to hide from the unfamiliar people. Tifa's, Aeris' and Yuffie's family all had a seat. Tifa carefully sat down; making sure that nothing was on her chair. And the others seemed to be doing the same.  
  
Soon, the roast beef was brought out, along with the other dishes. Chatter and laughter echoed through the room, but the children just sat there. They ate away but very cautiously, making sure that nothing was set out to hurt them in any way.  
  
"Watch this..." Cloud whispered into Zack's ear as he placed some peas onto his spoon and used it as a slingshot.  
  
He carefully aimed it at Tifa, trying not to miss, he shot it. Zack gasped as he watched this. Cloud seemed to be laughing but stopped when he realized that the chattering and laughing had stopped. He turned his head to look in Tifa's direction only to see that not a single pea had touched her clean, pale face. Then his eyes slowly drifted towards the man sitting beside Tifa's mom, which was Cloud's own father. He saw that a bunch of peas had stuck onto his cheek and some had fallen onto his napkin and on the table. Cloud immediately looked away, trying to look innocent. But he felt a dozen pair of eyes watching him which made him feel extremely uncomfortable.  
  
"Hmm, Hmm..." His dad's voice echoed through the room, as he tried to get Cloud's attention.  
  
Cloud slowly turned around, finally noticing that all the eyes weren't on him, as Cloud suspected. His father was staring at Mrs. Gainsborough and so were all the others. The next thing he knew, Mr. Strife grabbed some mashed potatoes and threw it right at Mrs. Gainsborough. She screeched as she saw half her face and her dress were now covered in mashed potatoes. Mr. Strife laughed menacingly, until some gravy hit him hard in the face, which once again started another silence.  
  
Then, Mr. Highwind roared up in laughter. A few more people joined in,  
but were soon disrupted by a small child's laugh. They all turned and  
faced the laughing Tifa. Cloud was sitting there, his whole face  
covered in tuna caviar. All the other children roared with laughter at  
the sight. Cloud swiped some of the caviar off his face, obviously not  
having much success. Just as Tifa laughed, Zack got up and spilled his  
coke all over her. Tifa simply sat there, her hair soaked from the  
coke. Cloud laughed at her. Yuffie then crawled behind Cloud's chair  
and put some mashed potatoes onto his head and Zack's. Everyone  
laughed at this.  
  
"FOOD FIGHT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Sephiroth shouted with an evil smile on  
his face.  
  
At that everyone began to throw food at each other. Mrs. Lockheart  
aimed the pudding at Mrs. Strife, but missed and she ended up hitting  
Mrs. Highwind instead. She laughed as some pie had hit the side of her  
face. Cloud was chasing Aeris, trying to hit her with some pudding.  
Meanwhile, Sephiroth was aiming some pie at Tifa as she tried to hide.  
Barret and Cid were all throwing peas around at each other, each face  
covered in mashed potatoes and gravy. Vincent and Yuffie were a little  
busy torturing each other themselves.  
  
Mr. Strife took a slice of cake and aimed it Mrs. Lockheart as she was  
cleaning off some peas that covered her face. He hit her and he fell  
on the floor with laughter, which made Cloud trip and spill the  
pudding on Mr. Strife's already food covered face. Aeris, still  
looking behind her as she ran around the table, tripped on them too  
and hit her face right in the pudding bowl. The place roared with  
laughter, and soon even the servants had joined in the food fight.  
  
The evening went on like that until everyone grew tired and decided to  
help clean up. The kids had all fallen asleep, their faces still  
covered in many foods. The parents silently cleaned up and then, after  
they had finished, picked each of their kids up and whispered bye to  
each other as they silently went out the door. It was truly an evening  
to be remembered.  
  
**~~~~**  
  
Yippee!!! There's the second chapter all completed! Funny? Hehe, I thought it was and I'm hoping you did too. Of course, this still is kind of an intro to how these soon-to-be great friends met! So please, please review! This chapter goes out to Yunyun, who dedicated her wonderful CloTi story to me. This ones for you!!! Well, please stay tuned for the third chapter!  
HisH 


	3. As It's Told

Yay! Chapter three! Thanks for all the reviews! Well, here's chapter three for you! Terribly sorry for the delay, but school starts tomorrow! :( Please review it! Thanks!  
  
~~~As it's Told~~~  
  
Grade Eight  
  
"Okay girls! Go and get changed and I'll see you next practice on Thursday at 8:00 sharp!" an older women shouted as she wrote something on her clipboard.  
  
She was wearing sweatpants and a sweatshirt. All the girls, which wearing some soccer uniforms, ran off the big green field and towards the change rooms.  
  
"So do you want to come to the mall with me later to pick up the dress my mom wants?" A girl with long, rich brown hair said to a girl around the same age that had deep green eyes.  
  
"Sure! My mom wants something too, so I'll pick that up." The girl with green eyes replied.  
  
"BOMBS AWAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" A loud, deep male voice shouted.  
  
No sooner had a whole bucket of water fell on the two girls, completely soaking them head- to- toe.  
  
"Oh My GOD!!! Cloud??! I'm going to get you for this!" The girl with the long brown hair said as she looked up to the school's roof.  
  
"Holy cow! Look what they did to us! Those... those...RASCALS!!!" The girl with green eyes said as she looked at her soaking clothes.  
  
"Coach! Coach! Look what they did to us! They threw a bucket of water on me and Aeris!" The girl with brown hair shouted at the coach as she ran down the hill towards her.  
  
"Wahoo!! We got them good!!! Let's run for it!" A blonde boy in his teenage years shouted as he ran as fast as possible out of the schoolyard.  
  
"Argh! Cloud!!! I'll get you and your stupid friends!!" The girl shouted at him as he ran past her.  
  
"Zack?! You were in this too?! How dare you?!" Aeris shouted as more boys passed them, running as fast as possible.  
  
"What you going to do, Tifa? Tell on me? Ooooh, I'm sooooo scared!!" The boy cried back as he sped out of the gate of the school.  
  
"You...you just watch! I'll get you so good; you wish you never met me, Cloud Strife!!" Tifa barked back at him.  
  
"I'm already wishing that!" He shouted back just as he disappeared behind the fence.  
  
"Argh!!" Tifa shouted as she clenched her fists tightly.  
  
"Get back here, you little brats! Go to the principal's office immediately!" The coach shouted after them, but did not succeed as all of them ran out of the school and waved to the girls.  
  
"Sayonara suckers!" They shouted.  
  
"I'm going to kill Zack for this!" Aeris shouted, now standing beside the angry brunette.  
  
"We'll get them...just you wait and watch..." Tifa said as she watched them all disappear behind the gate.  
  
~~**~~**~~  
  
Later On In the Evening  
  
"But mom, he wet me and Aeris! It just isn't fair!" Tifa complained to her mom while eating at the dinner table.  
  
"Now sweetheart, this fight between you and Cloud has been going on ever since the day you two met. Don't you think it's time it stopped?" Tifa's dad replied as he took a bite from the steak.  
  
"I would stop, but he doesn't! Tell him to stop! He just won't leave me alone! He hates me!" Tifa stammered as she slammed her fork against the table.  
  
"Well, how do you know he hates you? It might be his way of telling you he likes you a lot. I'm sure he has a crush on you and can't leave you alone until he asks you out." Tifa's mom said as she poured some gravy on her mashed potatoes.  
  
"Mom! How can you say that?! He's my worst enemy! He doesn't like me! That's the last thing on his mind! If he liked me, he would be nice to me, not annoy the daylights out of me!" Tifa argued, slightly exhausted.  
  
"Sometimes, guys can't act like sweet men around women because they are afraid of what their friends would think. If he tells you he likes you, he'll be the laughing stock to his friends. So he bothers you instead to make it look like the opposite." Mrs. Lockheart continued.  
  
"Argh! You don't understand! HE HATES ME! He had moments where he could tell me how he felt alone! But he didn't! HE DIDN'T!! He doesn't like me! Why can't you just understand that?! What he feels for me is the total opposite of LIKE! He never liked me and he never will like me!! I have no idea where you got that stupid idea! All I want is a bit of revenge! He tortures me more then ever! He wet me and Aeris!! This isn't fair!!" Tifa shouted across the table to her mom.  
  
"Hey! Don't you dare take that tone of voice with your mother, you understand?!" Mr. Lockheart shouted at Tifa.  
  
"Fine! I'm going to my room!" Tifa shouted and got out of the dining room.  
  
She ran up the flight of stairs and closed the door with a loud "BANG!". She hopped on her bed, face first, and lay her head on the pillow, silently crying.  
  
"Why can't they understand?! Why does everything lead to him liking me?! It has nothing to do with that!" Tifa shouted through sobs.  
  
"I'll get him one day... just watch...maybe not now...but soon..." Tifa said, tears still rolling down her cheeks.  
  
~~**~~~***~~~~  
  
It's a bit shorter then the other chapters, but I kind of rushed it! ^_^;; I hope you all liked it. By the way, I got the water idea from a reviewer! Thanks! Please review this chapter! The more reviews, the more of a higher chance of this being updated! So please review! Thanks! 


	4. Goodbye Forever

  
  
Oh my! I haven't updated in such a long time! I'm so sorry! But Inuyasha started in Canada (finally!) and I just HAD to watch it! Terribly sorry! This chapter might be long since my other one was a bit too short! And Tifa's uniform, to make it easier, looks like Sakura's (from cardcaptors) and Kagome's (from Inuyasha! ^^) so you have an idea of what it looks like...Let's see how it turns out!  
  
Chapter 4: Goodbye Forever...  
  
High school...  
  
"Man, soccer practice was the worst this time. No one passed the ball to us. And did you see how the girls looked at us in the change rooms? What was wrong with them?" Tifa said.  
  
She was wearing her high school uniform, a white shirt with a green colar and a small ribbon in the middle, with a short striped green skirt. Two girls, one with short brown hair and the other with long light brown hair, wore the same thing and were following her onto the blitzball field  
  
"Don't ask me, they didn't pass the ball to me either. And they gave me some dirty looks too." Aeris said while she looked out onto the field where all the boys were playing blitzball.  
  
"Same here! Gawd, that was so rude of them! One more second and I woulda punched them all out! I woulda used my shuriken that my father gave to me and knocked them all dead!" Yuffie said while making movements with her fists, punching the air.  
  
"Yuff, you know we aren't allowed to even mention that we can fight! Especially in school! Do you have any idea of how much trouble we'd be in?!" Aeris said, now looking at Yuffie in a concerned way.  
  
"Well of course! Miss goody-two-shoes doesn't want to get in trouble! That might ruin her record of being so damn perfect and a complete teachers pet!" Yuffie said in a girly innocent voice.  
  
"I am so not a goody-two-shoe! And how dare you tell me that I'm a teachers pet! Just because I get better grades then you, doesn't mean you have to be so jealous of me!" Aeris barked back, her emerald eyes now glaring angrily at Yuffie.  
  
"Why you...I bet you aren't anything but talk! Come on and fight! I bet that stupid pathetic staff is just for show!" Yuffie said back, her hands clenched into tight fists and her teeth gritted while her gray-brown eyes glowed with fury.  
  
"Show? You want to see a show? I'll give you a show that not only your head won't forget but your whole body won't forget! I'll show you just what this so called "stupid pathetic staff" can do and you'll wish you had never said that!" Aeris shouted back, now obviously very angry.  
  
Aeris pulled out a small silver staff from her bag and clicked a small button. The staff began to grow larger and was soon taller then it's owner.  
  
"Oh yeah! You want to bring weapons in this? Too afraid that you can't fight without that stupid magic staff of yours!?" Yuffie shouted to her as she pulled out a shuriken out of one of her bags.  
  
"Heh...Let's go and I'll show you what magic can do to you!" Aeris said with an evil grin as she got into position.  
  
"Aeris, Yuffie! What the heck are you thinking? Stop that and put your weapons away right now! What if one of the boys saw us! Especially if it was Cloud or one of his friends! Do you have any idea of how much torture we'd have to go through!?" Tifa said in a light whisper to the two angry girls.  
  
Tifa turned and faced them and lowered both their weapons, while the two just glared at each other. Yuffie put her shuriken back into one of her bags and Aeris clicked a small button on her staff and, when it shrank back to it's original size, she put it away.  
  
Both the girls were still glaring, but not at each other. Instead, they kept walking out into the blitzball field where a large sphere stood in the middle. The sphere was filled with water and if you looked close enough, you would see a bunch of people swimming inside it. The girls sat on one of the benches and Tifa began to talk to settle Aeris and Yuffie down.  
  
Soon, after a long chat and a bit of arguing and bad words, they all sat there with their smiles on and watched the game.  
  
"NO! I said for you to cover Zack! Not Vincent, ZACK! What the heck do you think you were doing up there?!" A short plump man with a cap on shouted at a spikey blonde haired boy.  
  
"But, coach! I was after Zack, but Vincent had the ball so I swam after him instead-..."  
  
"That's enough! I don't want to hear anymore! I know you just wanted to get Vincent cause Zack isn't enough of a challenge for you! Well, now look! Zack just scored! I never want to see this happen again or else you'll be kicked off the team!" the coach yelled at him and then blew his whistle, signaling that the practice was over.  
  
"Yes coach..." the boy said with a frown and walked away towards the change rooms.  
  
"Hahaha! We beat you! Nice shot Zack!" Vincent shouted as he high fived Zack.  
  
"Yeah, yeah...just stop rubbing it in..." Cloud said as he walked away.  
  
Then he spotted Tifa, Yuffie and Aeris sitting on a bench, studying. He had to go up there, as much as he didn't want to, his parents had made him. They told him he had to apologize to them because of what he did yesterday. He had put a worm in Tifa's sandwich and she had eaten it. Not long after she felt something squirming in her mouth did she scream a loud horrible scream. So he had to apologize or else he wouldn't be allowed to play blitzball again. He knew that his parents would always find out. They would phone Tifa's parents and ask if he had apologized to her. So there was no way out of this.  
  
But did he have to do it now? He thought he would do it after he changed and showered and then he would tell them. But he would pull another prank later, so what was the point of apologizing? Tifa had this thing that made him want to pull pranks on her. She always got on his nerves and he would always get mad and play a mean trick on her. It was a routine! He walked into the boy's change room without another glance at her.  
  
**~~~~~~~~~~**  
  
"Did you see the way the coach scolded Cloud? He was so mad at him. And Cloud's team even lost! I can't believe that! I actually kind of feel sorry for him..."  
  
Tifa and Aeris both stopped dead in there tracks. The three girls were walking home, since they all lived right across the street. Yuffie kept walking until she realized that the two pairs of footsteps that once were following her had stopped. She turned around and saw Aeris and Tifa look angrily back at her.  
  
"What do you mean feel sorry for that jerk? After all him and his friends did to you, Aeris and me, you feel sorry for him? You should feel sorry for US for having to go to the same school with him so he can just torture us more! How can you say that?" Tifa said, gripping the straps that came over her shoulder from her bag.  
  
"Yeah, Yuffie...those jerks are nothing but trouble to us. You shouldn't go feeling sorry for them." Aeris said, slightly blushing for no reason.  
  
"Well-I...It's just that-He looked so sad...But...I guess you guys are right...I still kind of feel sorry for him...I hear his parents are really pressuring him with his schoolwork...and that they are MAKING him go out with girls he doesn't even know...plus they keep threatening that they'll take him off the blitzball team if he doesn't keep up with his schoolwork...So I kinda feel bad for him y'know...besides...he's kinda cute..." Yuffie said, now looking at the floor blushing madly.  
  
"W-what?? How do you know all that?" Tifa said, taking a step towards Yuffie, she was so shocked to her a proud Kisaragi like her utter those words about Cloud.  
  
"And did you just call Cloud cute?! Oh my! You like him don't you!" Aeris shouted her mouth wide open in surprise.  
  
"Well...you know how information travels. Cloud's parents call Vincent's parents and Vincent's parents call my mom and so on. And I don't like him! That's crazy! I just feel bad for him. And you have to admit! He did get more handsome! Before he used to be so small and scrawny. Now he's tall, tanned a bit and has muscles! Tifa, you have to agree with me!"  
  
Tifa stood there shocked and wondered why her friend just told her that. Why would she agree? As much as she didn't want to admit it, it was true. From an ugly duckling, Cloud had turned into a swan. He was certainly taller and had gotten a tan from being in the sun a lot during the summer. And he was getting muscles from playing blitzball and, from a source she had heard, he was even lifting weights and practicing with a large sword.  
  
Cloud was definitely attractive. All the cheerleaders would always run up to him and compliment him on his game and offer him a drink. He was also rich because his parents were very rich people. He was also very smart, even though it is quite shocking to Tifa, who is one of the top students in her classes, he had beaten her. He was everything Tifa liked which was probably why Yuffie acknowledged her.  
  
"W-why are you asking me? Okay, okay...so he IS kinda cute...but he's still a jerk! And he never apologizes to what he does to me! As if I'm going to forgive him anyways! He's a complete loser!" Tifa shouted, as she turned her red face around and crossed her arms. Angry red or blushing red, it was probably both.  
  
For some reason, Aeris blushed a deep red and was twiddling her thumbs.  
  
"Well...I kinda agree...with...umm...Yuffie...and Tifa...He is...really...handsome...and same with his friends...but he is a jerk...but he hasn't pranked us all day...and I think he's kinda...sweet..." Aeris said, now so red that she stared at her feet so her friends wouldn't look at her.  
  
"W-w-WHAT?! I can't believe that! Aeris, are you telling me...you LIKE him?! His friends are cute?! Have you both LOST your MARBLES!!!! He tortures you for your whole life and then one day he doesn't do anything mean and you're all over him like those stupid cheerleaders?!" Tifa shouted, now completely outraged.  
  
"Well, remember when Yuffie and I were at the library...he sorta came up to us...and so did Zack and Vincent..."  
  
"Did he try to prank you again?" Tifa asked, still a bit of outrage in her voice.  
  
"Well...no...you see he did the total opposite...he...apologized to us...and he even offered to help us if we ever needed it...and he was so sweet...he even smiled at us really sweetly...Vincent did too...then they sat beside us the whole time and we talked and laughed...it was...nice..." Yuffie said, sounding innocent in hopes of calming Tifa down, but it only made her angrier.  
  
"You mean he apologized to you and you fell for it!? How do you know if he was only joking so he can prank ME somehow!? Or prank you guys! He might just want to gain your trust so he can hurt you even more next time! You guys are so stupid! I can't believe this!"  
  
"Tifa...I know you're mad and this will probably get you angrier...but...please try to understand...this whole childish fight is getting old...we're in high school now...we need to get over it...so please try and relax...this fight kept going in circles ever since kindergarten...it's about time it finished...and he wasn't lying...he was too kind about it...so please...Tifa..." Aeris said, desperately trying to calm Tifa down.  
  
"Relax? How can I relax when I know that my friends or I can get hurt again!? No way! If you guys have any good brains left in your brainwashed heads, you won't believe a word he said!" Tifa shouted as she stomped off.  
  
"Well anyways Tifa...we can't make it to soccer practice tomorrow and we need you to tell coach we're not feeling well." Yuffie called after her.  
  
"But you guys aren't sick...your fine..." Tifa said as she stepped back towards them to examine them.  
  
"Yeah we know...but we sorta have this thing after school that we need to do...so..." Aeris said, blushing again and lowering her head.  
  
"Why? What are you guys doing? You love soccer practice! Where will you be? What is it you guys aren't telling me?" Tifa said, looking angry again.  
  
"Well, remember how we told you that Cloud and Vincent came up to us...?" Yuffie said looking slightly scared.  
  
"...Yes..." Tifa replied, her hands clenched into fists.  
  
"Well...they sorta...asked us out...PLEASE DON'T BE MAD!" Yuffie shouted, tears forming at the corner of her eyes. "What...? They asked you out? You mean you two are going out with Cloud and Vincent? This is a trap! Believe me it is! You guys are going to leave me alone at soccer practice and they will probably come after me when I walk home and then they'll hurt you! I can't believe you'll just ditch me for guys we can barely trust?! Gee, what great friends you are! And you'll probably come crawling back to me and tell me that I was right, that they DID prank you! You guys are complete idiots! I can't believe you would just leave me alone for them!" Tifa shouted, anger filled her body but tears filled her eyes and were dripping down her cheeks.  
  
"Tifa, that's enough! I thought you'd understand! Cause that's what friends do! You should be happy for us! I bet your...your...YOUR JUST JEALOUS THAT I'M GOING OUT WITH CLOUD!" Aeris shouted, tears also falling down her cheeks.  
  
"Jealous? Ha-ha...jealous of what? That you're going out with Cloud and that he'll probably end up pranking you? Is that what you think I'm jealous of? Well, you can just go out with Cloud, but don't come crawling back to me when he breaks your heart and you need a friend by your side! Because we are no longer best friends!" Tifa shouted and she tore off the friendship bracelet that they all had made in grade 5 that had 3 words written on it; Best, Friends, Forever.  
  
All the beads fell off and the string flew away with the wind. Tifa turned her back, her long loose light brown hair flying as she did this, and stomped off towards her house, leaving her friends behind...  
  
~~**~~~~~~~~~~~~~**~~  
  
Wow, that was longer then intended! Well, I hope you like it so far! Please review! I love it when people review my story! Stay tuned for chapter five and you'll get to find out what happens on the date! Suspenseful? He-he! Well, anyways, I can't wait till next Friday cause Inuyasha's on again! Woohooo!!! 


	5. The Arrangement

Oh My God! So terribly sorry for the EXTREMELY late update, but school has been keeping me so busy, I barely have time to write anything! I'm so sorry! Plus I have a new story coming up which is about Evangelion! But no need to worry my fellow Cloti friends, more cloti is soon to come! Just as soon as I finish one of these stories.  
  
^.~ anyways, this chapter is going to be a bit short, sorry!  
  
~~~The Arrangement ~~~  
  
"Hmph! Some friends! Dumping me for Cloud and his friends! I'm never going to talk to them ever again!"  
  
Tifa silently sobbed into her pillow, remembering what her friends had said and the friendship braclet she broke. It made her cry, knowing that she threw away a strong friendship that had lasted for so long.  
  
"They deserved it! They'll see...Cloud is just going to do something mean like he always does! Then they'll come back to me!" Tifa thought.  
  
She sobbed again and stuffed her face into her pillow so her parents wouldn't hear her.  
  
**~~~~~~~~~~~~~**~~~~~~~~~~~~~~**  
  
"This isn't right for a child her age..." Mr. Lockheart said to his wife while smoking his pipe.  
  
"What do you mean? She is not a child anymore! She's in high school!" Mrs. Lockheart argued.  
  
"Exactly. She's in High school and STILL has never gotten a date or a boyfriend! Look at Aeris and Yuffie! Both have dates with decent boys like Cloud and Vincent!" Mr. Lockheart continued.  
  
"So?! That doesn't give us any right to do this to her! Besides, Aeris and Yuffie know Cloud and Vincent since they were kids! Tifa won't even know what the guys name is for Gods sake!"  
  
"But that's just the beauty of it! You always said you liked romance like that! You know, where the girl sees the man she is to marry for the first time and, at first, hates him but later falls in love with him! I think this is the best for Tifa..." Mr. Lockheart argued back.  
  
"But we should let her be a free child! Doing this is like taking away her rights! It's her own decision when it comes to what man she wishes to marry! We just observe and we tell her if he's good for her or not!" Mrs. Lockheart shouted, anger in her voice.  
  
"But this way, we won't hurt her, the man she chooses won't hurt her, and we would have already have approved!" Mr. Lockheart said, now standing up and trying to reason with his wife.  
  
"No...This would hurt her equally and she might even elope if she has already fallen in love! This is not right! We should let her choose when she is ready!" Mrs. Lockheart said, turning around and giving Mr. Lockheart her back.  
  
"But that's just it! What if she's never ready! Our family will never continue!" Mr. Lockheart shouted.  
  
"Oh! So now this is all about your family name to continue and not your one and only daughters happiness?!" Mrs. Lockheart roared as she turned once again and faced her husband, her sweet face filling with anger.  
  
"I'm not saying that! I just think this is the best for her! We both know that if she chooses to marry who she wants, he will be bad and he will hurt her! But with an arranged marriage, we can make sure she's happy!"  
  
"That's it! I can't argue with you anymore! Do what you wish, but if she gets hurt I had nothing to do with it and I will kill you!"  
  
Mrs. Lockheart shouted at her husband, putting her hand on her forehead as if she was getting a headache.  
  
~~~**~~~~~~~***~~~~~~~~~~***  
  
"How do I look?" Cloud asked his dad as he finished putting on his tie.  
  
His father had insisted that Cloud and Vincent took Aeris and Yuffie somewhere extremely fancy and expensive. Though Cloud argued that if the girl really loved him, she wouldn't care for his money. But his dad was not paying any attention to him.  
  
"You look great son! Like a real man..." Mr. Strife said as he fixed the bow tie a bit.  
  
And he was right...Cloud looked extremely handsome in the tuxedo. The shirt was showing a bit of his muscles and he looked tall and more...mature.  
  
"So...are you going with Yuffie or Aeris?" His dad asked as he checked himself in the mirror.  
  
"...Aeris..." Cloud said.  
  
"Ahhhhhh....yes, she is quite beautiful isn't she? She looks just like her mother...I see you have taste, Cloud." Mr. Strife complimented.  
  
"Yeah...well..." Cloud said sheepishly.  
  
"Come on! Don't want to be late do you now?! Go downstairs and Vincent is probably there too! Good luck and behave yourself Cloud!" Mr. Strife shouted after Cloud as he ran out of his room and down the marble stairs.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~**~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"Okay...relax....just ring the doorbell and bring Aeris and Yuffie out." Cloud told Vincent.  
  
"Why do I have to do it?! Why can't you?! Or at least come down with me! It would be the proper thing to do!" Vincent argued.  
  
"Because...Sephiroth might be there...and you know how he feels about me and Aeris...he'll wring my neck! But he doesn't hate you, so just go!" Cloud said as he looked in the mini mirror that hung from the top of his car and fixed his hair.  
  
"But what would Sephiroth be doing in Aeris' house?" Vincent argued.  
  
"Number 1;he know about the date. Number 2;Him and Aeris have to work on a project for biology and number 3;HE LIKES HER !" Cloud said as he turned his attention back to Vincent.  
  
'But wouldn't you be able to take him?! You're strong! Plus you get to show off in front of Aeris!" Vincent winked.  
  
"Well...I heard he's also gotten stronger too...besides, why would I need to show off in front of Aeris?! She already likes me and you know how she's all against the violence thing." Cloud said.  
  
"NOW MOVE!" Cloud shoved Vincent out the door, making him stumble out.  
  
Vincent slowly walked towards the large white fancy door and, with his trembling fingers, pressed the doorbell.  
  
He hesitantly looked back at the black Ferrari where Cloud sat and gulped as he looked up at the door, waiting for it to open.  
  
Suddenly, the door creaked open and there stood Aeris in a red strapless dress, wearing mascara and blush which really brought out her eyes and pretty doll face. The dress was all sparkly and it went all the way down to Aeris' knees. Her hair was let down but had a small braid hanging at the back. She was wearing a pretty red ribbon around her neck and had her beautiful bangs twist around her face.  
  
'Man, Cloud is so going to faint...' Vincent thought as he looked at Aeris.  
  
"Oh! Hey...erm...where's Cloud?" Aeris asked as she looked outside.  
  
"Oh! He's in the car...where's Yuffie?" Vincent asked as he looked in the house.  
  
"Right here!" A young voice shouted as Yuffie stepped in front of the doorway. She was wearing a green dress that had 2 thin green straps go around her neck. Her dress was tighter then Aeris but also had sparkles. Her hair was let down it looked neater and less messy then usual.  
  
"H-hey Yuffie...erm...you girls ready to go?" Vincent asked them.  
  
Both the girls nodded and stepped outside, locking the door behind them and soon followed Vincent to the black Ferrari...  
  
Muahahahahaha!!I finished this short chapter! It's only short because I wanted to update fast or else I would have written the date part too. But I didn't want to keep you all waiting! So I hope you enjoyed it and please Review!  
  
By the way, if you didn't get it, Tifa's parents are thinking about an arranged marriage...want to know what happens next? Your going to have to wait and read!=D  
  
Ja Ne for now until the next update! 


	6. The Date

  
  
AHA! I'm Updating! And thank you for the reviews (even though there weren't many... -_-). Anyways, this chapter is going to have the date! Yay!!! Now you get to find out why the hell Vincent and Cloud exactly asked Yuffie and Aeris on a date! And plus a phone call from a very unexpected person...And while all this happens, Tifa and her mom seem to be getting closer? O_O And what the hell will Tifa do when she finds out about the arranged marriage?! Read, review and find out!  
  
~~~Chapter 6~~~ ~~~The Date~~~  
  
"Hey Aeris...you look...absolutely...magnificent..." Cloud said as he got out of his car to help Aeris and Yuffie in.  
  
He blushed knowing how beautiful both the girls looked and he opened the door like a gentleman. Vincent went and sat in the car waiting for Cloud to drive.  
  
He also thought the girls looked absolutely beautiful tonight. He blushed as he pictured getting his first kiss from Yuffie...  
  
Cloud hopped in the driver's seat and started the car...and not soon after they were backing out of the parking lot.  
  
~~~**~~~***~~~~  
  
'Man...This has got to be the worst weekend in my entire life!!' Tifa thought as she sat up on her bed.  
  
Her eyes were big and red and her cheeks were stained with tears. She looked miserable as she wiped at her eyes, sniffling a little.  
  
'I think I'm going to go downstairs now...get something to eat and watch some TV...and maybe talk to mom...maybe she can make me feel better...' Tifa thought to herself as she stood up and walked out of her room.  
  
~~~***~~~~*****  
  
"We're here! Here...I'll get that for you..." Cloud said as he parked in front of a large and very fancy Restaurant called "Le Château".  
  
Cloud and Vincent walked out of the car and opened the door for Aeris and Yuffie as both girls gently stepped out.  
  
'Man! This looks great! But I can't help but feel so guilty for what happened to Tifa...she looked really hurt...We should be with her tonight and we should be having a sleepover at her house like we do every Friday...Oh man...WE have to make it up to her!' Yuffie thought as she walked into the restaurant with Vincent, Aeris and Cloud.  
  
And though she kept trying to push it away, Aeris was thinking the same thing...  
  
~~**~~**~~**~~  
  
"Mommy...are you there?" Tifa asked, sniffling a bit, but trying not to show that she had been crying.  
  
"Hmmm...Oh! Tifa Dear! What is it?" Tifa's mom shouted from the kitchen.  
  
"Mommy...what's there to eat?" Tifa asked as she walked into the kitchen, her red eyes scanning it.  
  
"Oh...Here, I'll get you something to eat and then we can both watch some TV together...How does that sound?" Her mom said with a very comforting smile...the same smile Tifa possessed...but she didn't remember that, seeing as how she hadn't been smiling for a long time. But still it comforted her...  
  
"Okay mommy..." Tifa said quietly as she slowly stepped out of the kitchen and into the living room.  
  
She looked for the remote and sat on one of the leather couches. She turned on the flat screen TV and began browsing through the channels. Soon her mother walked in and she had made some popcorn and she had 2 cans of Pepsi in her hand.  
  
"So...why are you home on a Friday night? Don't you, Yuffie, and Aeris usually do something?" Her mother asked as she popped a piece of popcorn in her mouth.  
  
Tifa felt her eyes begin to water at the words her mom had said and she bowed her head, looking at the beautiful carpeted floor.  
  
"Oh, honey! I'm so sorry! Come here..." Her mother said as she remembered that both of her friends were on a date.  
  
But she was thinking that Tifa was upset because she didn't have a date...  
  
Her mother then wrapped her arms around her young daughter as Tifa placed her head on her mother's lap. Her mother gently rocked her as she held her in her arms. Tifa began to sob quietly in her mother's arms.  
  
Mrs. Lockheart bent her head down to Tifa's and softly kissed her on her forehead.  
  
"Now...why don't you tell me what exactly happened?" Mrs. Lockheart asked softly.  
  
Tifa sat up straight and rubbed her ruby eyes. She then looked at her mother...She didn't know if she should tell her, but she had to get it off her chest...  
  
~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~  
  
"So...erm...can I ask you guys something?" Aeris asked as they all took a seat at one of the fancy tables in the large nice restaurant.  
  
"Sure...shoot..." Cloud said as he looked around for a waiter.  
  
"Why did you guys exactly ask us out?" Aeris asked curiously.  
  
"Well...you sure you wanna know?" Cloud said hesitantly.  
  
"Yes..." Aeris responded.  
  
Yuffie also sat there looking back and forth to Vincent and Cloud. Vincent looked at Cloud just in case he needed help in explaining.  
  
"Well...you see...you know how our families are and how sensitive and old fashioned they are when it comes to love, dating and marriage..." Cloud started, trying his best to make sense out of it.  
  
"Yeah..." Aeris and Yuffie both sighed...  
  
They all knew this was true seeing as how their parents lectured them about it when they were 12 years old. Plus all their parents were very tight and everything one family would do, the others would accept too.  
  
"Well...though they all want us to have the same rules when it comes to love, they have different styles of how they want us married..." Cloud continued having difficulty finding the correct words to use.  
  
Aeris and Yuffie seemed to be paying very close attention to what Cloud was saying. Vincent was browsing for a waiter.  
  
"For example...Take the Lockhearts...their family tradition is arranged marriage..." Cloud said coolly.  
  
At that Aeris and Yuffie gasped and their faces quickly became pale as their eyes widened...Cloud seemed to notice this and he let out a small laugh.  
  
"You didn't know that?" He merely laughed.  
  
Aeris and Yuffie shook their heads, still in a state of shock.  
  
"Hah! She's your friend and you didn't know that?!" Cloud continued to mock.  
  
"Okay, enough Cloud! Do you have any idea what Tifa is going to do if she finds out about that?!" Yuffie shouted.  
  
"Look...it's not like I care what happens to Tifa...you both know that...Anyways, are we here to talk about Tifa or why I asked you out?" Cloud simply said and Aeris thought him as a cold man. She merely let out a "humph!" and turned her head.  
  
"My family's style is pretty normal though...I just go out with whatever girl I want and my parents either approve of her and I may have her as my girlfriend and maybe more or they tell me not to see her again." Cloud said, shrugging.  
  
"Well then...why did you guys pick US out of all the prettier girls in school?" Yuffie shouted. "Well...we have to go out with girls that our family knows well so they can look up some back round information...you know, like....does she smoke, does she drink and all that other stuff." Vincent came in, obviously tired of trying to get a waiters attention.  
  
"Well I think th-..." Aeris began but was interrupted by a ring coming from her mini purse...  
  
~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~**~~**~~**  
  
Mrs. Lockheart felt a surge of guilt flow through her body as she heard her daughter explain why she was upset. She now regretted ever accepting the arranged marriage proposal.  
  
"Oh my...I'm so sorry honey...but there's something you should know...Friends may come and go...but family is forever..." her mother said softly...  
  
"I know mom...but Aeris and Yuffie are my best friends and who will I hang out with now? Who will I go with to University?? Who will I get to be my bride's maid?" Tifa sobbed.  
  
"You know what...they aren't the only people in the world that can be your friends...there are many more people out there that would love to be your best friends!" Mrs. Lockheart assured Tifa.  
  
Tifa looked up at her mother...and, for once, she felt closer to her then ever...And she didn't have a single regret about telling her what happened.  
  
"Mom..." Tifa smiled cutely and suspiciously.  
  
"Did you get that line out of that book you've been reading?" Tifa laughed.  
  
Her mother blushed and burst out laughing...  
  
"How did you know that?! Did you sneak a look at it?" Mrs. Lockheart laughed.  
  
Tifa laughed suspiciously and nodded, telling the truth.  
  
"Why you!" Mrs. Lockheart said as she threw a piece of popcorn at Tifa playfully. Tifa giggled and almost fell off the couch when her mom began to tickle her...  
  
~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**  
  
"Hello..." Aeris said as she answered her pink mini cell phone.  
  
Yuffie, Vincent, and Cloud all looked at her, waiting for a familiar name to be mentioned.  
  
"Oh! Sephirtoh! How are you?!" Aeris burst as a smile was placed on her lips.  
  
Cloud felt his face go pale and the hair on his arms stick up. His eyes widened and he froze, sitting on the chair.  
  
"Oh, well...no...Actually I'm with Yuffie, Vincent and Cloud right now...Yeah...Cloud..." Aeris said into the mini phone as a bunch of eyes looked at her.  
  
Cloud felt himself sinking under the table and all he wanted to do was hide under the table.  
  
"Oh...everything's going great! Yeah, I'm having fun...Oh and I got the books needed for the project. I also looked up some stuff on the internet...Yeah, I'll send you them..." Aeris continued.  
  
Vincent tried to poke Cloud but he noticed he had disappeared. Vincent began to look everywhere for his friend.  
  
"Oh...you wanna talk to Cloud? Sure...hang on..." Aeris said as she removed the cell phone from her ear.  
  
"Vincent! Where's Cloud?!" Aeris asked him.  
  
Vincent looked around the restaurant frantically but turned back to Aeris and shrugged. Yuffie looked at him worriedly, and then she looked at Aeris and made a pleading face. Aeris placed the cell phone back on her ear and signaled Vincent to look for Cloud.  
  
"Er...Sephiroth...He's in the bathroom...but if you tell me what you wanted to say to him, I'll be more then happy to give him the message!" Aeris lied.  
  
Vincent looked under the table and so did Yuffie. There they saw a trembling Cloud rocking back and forth, hugging his knees and it looked like all his blood had been drained from his face.  
  
"Okay, then...See you later! Bye!" Aeris said into the phone and hung up...  
  
~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~  
  
Well! What did you think?! Like it?! Please R&R!! And stay tuned for chapter 7!!! Ja Ne till then!  
  
~~Kawaii_Tifa~~ 


	7. The End of Now

  
  
A/N: Oh my God! I'm updating this story! It's a miracle! ^-^ Sorry for the delay, but I've been busy with school and other fics... Anyways, I decided I should continue this story too because it hasn't been updated in so long! So, here I go!  
  
~~~Chapter Seven: The End Of Now~~~  
  
"Cloud! What are you doing down there?! Get out here now!" Aeris shouted at the shaking Cloud Strife who was crouching under the table.  
  
Slowly and hesitantly, he crawled out back towards his seat and he seemed almost petrified. He was pale and his teeth were chattering.  
  
"Cloud, what's wrong with you?" Yuffie asked him, a bit surprised at his state.  
  
"I'm okay...really...I'm fine! Never better..." Cloud said, and he already began to get his color back.  
  
"Okay...anyways, Sephiroth said that he found some information for your project and he said you can call him and give him your e-mail and he'd send it to you." Aeris said, quickly changing the subject.  
  
"..." Cloud said nothing and almost freaked at the thought of Sephiroth sending him an e-mail. Knowing him, there was probably 500 viruses in there too. Cloud shuddered at the very thought.  
  
"Shall we take our leave now, ladies?" Vincent asked; gentlemen like as he helped Yuffie get her coat.  
  
"Aeris, let's go. It's getting late anyways and I wouldn't want your parents to worry." Cloud said politely.  
  
With that, Aeris and Yuffie both got up and got their coats and steadily walked out of the restaurant, chatting with their dates.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~**~*~*~*~**~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"Tifa dear?" Tifa's mom cried out from the kitchen.  
  
She had cleaned up the big mess they had made in the living room while Tifa helped and watched T.V for a bit. After her mom finished with the dishes she had peeked into the quiet, dark living room only to see Tifa huddled in the blankets, fast asleep. Her mother leaned her shoulder against the kitchen wall as she watched her baby sleep in peace. She let out a small smile, remembering her own mother and her own childhood.  
  
But then she remembered the marriage and her smile quickly turned into a frown. How was she going to ever tell Tifa? She would think her parents had betrayed her and her mother wouldn't be able to live seeing her daughter upset at her or unhappy. She couldn't tell her yet...she was too young. Maybe a few years later she will...  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* LATER ON AT SCHOOL  
  
"Hey Tifa! Wait up will ya?!" Aeris and Yuffie cried down the hallway after their friend, panting for breath. But Tifa kept her back turned to them, ignoring them completely.  
  
"TIFA WOULD YOU PLEASE LISTEN TO US?! IT'S IMPORTANT!!!" Aeris and Yuffie finally caught up to her and stood in front of her.  
  
Tifa merely shook her head and closed her eyes as she walked right past them, turning red in the face. Her friends merely followed close behind, trying their hardest to get her attention.  
  
"Tifa!! Why won't you talk to us?!" Yuffie shouted at her.  
  
"...Maybe it's because I'm still mad at you guys." Tifa barked back and she continued walking slowly down the hall.  
  
"So? Does that mean you can't speak to us or at least listen to us when it's something important?!" Yuffie hollered back.  
  
"Yuffie...when someone's mad at you, they don't talk to you! Duh?! And now you know how it feels when people don't listen to you! It's not a very nice feeling is it now?!" Tifa shouted at them.  
  
"Wait...if you're mad at us then why are you talking and listening to me now?" Yuffie asked, all confused.  
  
"Yuffie...shut up." Tifa said, getting annoyed and angry all of a sudden.  
  
"What?! Hey, no need to be so mean Tifa! I'm just asking! I mean this is sooo confusing!" Yuffie shouted.  
  
"Okay, Yuffie right now that's not important! Tifa we need to talk to you now! It's urgent and it concerns you!" Aeris said to Tifa, panicking slightly.  
  
"Oh really? Well it better be good because you're lucky enough that I'm even paying attention to you." Tifa said without the slightest bit of interest.  
  
"Look, we're sorry Tifa! Okay? We didn't mean to ditch you. We wanted you to come with us but we knew you wouldn't want to." Aeris said, apologetically.  
  
"Anyways, yesterday, on our date with Vincent and Cloud, we were talking to them and then they mentioned that your family is known for arranged marriages! Tifa, they'll make you get married to someone you don't even know! You have to stop them!" Aeris shook Tifa by her shoulders.  
  
Tifa, who seemed totally blank in the face, only walked backwards, nudging Aeris' hands off her shoulder and continued to walk away. Aeris and Yuffie were now in a complete state of shock at their friend's carelessness.  
  
"TIFA! COME ON!!! WE'RE SERIOUS!!!" Aeris shouted after her, once again continuing the run along the hall.  
  
"Look, if you expect me to believe you now, especially since CLOUD told you this bullshit, then you're wrong! My parents would never do something like that without telling me! Now if you don't mind, I have math to attend to." And with that Tifa merely walked off, leaving her friends in a complete state of shock.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Kawaii_Tifa A/N: I know this chapter was REALLY short and I apologize! But I needed to end the highschool years and in my next chapter it's going to be University and that's where the REAL plot kicks in! So I promise the next chapter will be MUCH MUCH longer! Thank you and please R&R! 


	8. Enemies

**One Minute Can Last Forever**  
  
A/N: I know, it's been so long since I've updated this fic and I was actually planning to delete it until I looked over the reviews and saw all the threats oo. Yeah, so I decided I'd just continue it and finish it off...hopefully soon XD Cause I really want to start working on other stories. Anyways, just want to thank all the lovely reviewers! You guys really forced me into continuing this...literally.  
  
**Chapter Eight: Enemies**  
  
"Bye mom, I'll see you in the afternoon!" A grown Tifa Lockheart shouted, a bagel dangling from her mouth as she grabbed her bag and ran out the door.  
  
"Bye Tifa and don't forget to come home early! We have a dinner guest!" A beautiful and elegant aged woman shouted after her daughter.  
  
"Yeah, yeah! I have to go mom!" She locked the door, bagel still in her mouth and ran to her small car. She hopped inside and drove out of the parking lot.

* * *

"I wonder where she is! Class starts in a few minutes!" A bewildered and frantic Aeris Gainsborough echoed as she glanced at her watch for what must have been the 100th time that day.  
  
"She'll be here, Aeris! Have a chill pill!" An ecstatic and impatient Yuffie Kisaragi moaned at her friend.  
  
"Well, what's a pair of fine women like yourselves doing out here by yourselves?" A familiar and masculine voice asked flirtatiously.  
  
"Zack...How many times do we have to tell you, you're NOT a player! Get over yourself! Besides we're waiting for Tifa!" Aeris shouted, not even glancing behind her to acknowledge the handsome man behind her.  
  
"Oh yeah! Her parents are having this weird dinner thing tonight and I have to go. Man, I have other plans! Why DO I have to go to some boring dinner party with old people?" He complained as he leaned one of his masculine arms on Aeris and took a bit of his apple.  
  
"BECAUSE it's REALLY important! I think something bad is going to happen!" Yuffie shouted, chewing on her nails while she continued to stare into the parking lot in front of her.  
  
"Whatever...I still have better things to do." Zack complained as Aeris smacked his arm off.  
  
"Ow..." He whined as he glared at her while rubbing his arm.  
  
"There she is!!! ABOUT TIME!!!" Yuffie shouted, jumping up and down.  
  
As she said this, a small and red car reared up into the parking lot and a hyper woman who seemed to be in a rush came practically flying out.  
  
"I'm so sorry I'm late! I guess I sort of over slept!" Tifa said, panting for air as she flicked a fudge brown strand of hair out of her face.  
  
"Yeah, yeah! Now hurry up! We have to get to class!" Aeris shouted as she darted towards the main entrance to the University.  
  
Tifa and Yuffie were quick to follow suit and were soon dashing across the hallways. That's when it happened. She bumped into a tall, lean and muscular man who was obviously furious at her.  
  
"Hey! Watch where you're goin' Lockheart!" The boy said.  
  
"I'm sorry I di- It's you!" she said as she finished picking up her text books and looked into the eyes of the man she bumped into. The same mako blue eyes she had looked into so many times before. The same messy spiked up golden blonde hair and the same mean and cold attitude. Cloud Strife was busy dusting off his brand new V-neck sweater and looked up at her curiously.  
  
"I never knew you had the brains to get into a university." She teased as she cleaned off her top as well.  
  
"Yeah well I never knew you did either. Your parents probably bought your way into the university." He snarled back at her.  
  
"No, that's your parents job." Tifa glared right back at him as he glared straight into her eyes. Mako blue fiercely glaring into Ruby fired ones.  
  
"Would you two lovebirds quit it already?! We have to get to class! COME ON TIFA!" Aeris said as she dragged Tifa away from Cloud, leading her into Science Class.  
  
"Oi, Cloud! Wait up!" Zack, Vincent and Barret came waltzing into the boy's change room where Cloud was putting on his Blitzball uniform.

* * *

"So, after today's game, anyone up for beer?" Cloud said sheepishly as he struggled with putting on his jersey.  
  
"Err..we can't remember? The Lockhearts invited our families over for this special dinner thing tonight and my parents are MAKING me go." Zack whined as he stared gloomily at the floor.  
  
"Ah shit! I totally forgot about that! My dad said I HAVE to go too..." Barret moaned as he kicked a locker door.  
  
"Same with my parents. But I don't have a problem with that, after all Yuffie's going to be there so..." Vincent blushed and looked away. Over the years, him and Yuffie had gotten very close.  
  
"Cloud, isn't Aeris going to be there and Sephiroth?" Zack asked as he looked at his blonde friend struggle with his clothes.  
  
"Yeah I know they will be plus some new guy is going to be there. I wonder..." Cloud thought as an evil grin smeared his face.  
  
"Wonder what?" Barret asked, curiously looking at his devious friend.  
  
"I wonder if it's going to be Tifa's future husband." Cloud cackled.  
  
"WHAT?! Tifa's engaged?!" Vincent shouted.  
  
"No you moron! It's just, her family is known for arranged marriages and maybe this is the guy her parents want to marry." Cloud laughed. Torturing Tifa and seeing her upset was always something that brightened his day. After all, she had always been a nuisance since the day he laid eyes on her.  
  
"Will you boys get your asses out here already?! It's not time for chit chat! Let's go the game's startin'!" A bewildered and grumpy looking old coach shouted into the change room.

* * *

"Ugh, I hate Cloud...he was always set out to ruin my life! To think he's coming to my dinner party! Knowing him, he's probably going to start another food fight and this time, my parents won't enjoy it." Tifa complained to Yuffie and Aeris.  
  
"Cloud isn't all that bad actually Tifa. Maybe if you two apologize to each other, everything will be okay again! Besides, Cloud's hot..." Aeris said dreamily as she gazed into the endless blue sky.  
  
"I don't care if he's hot or not, he's still a JERK!" Tifa yelled, her legs dangling off the bench.  
  
"Who knows? Maybe he'll be nice to you at the dinner party!" Yuffie said as she looked at her raven haired friend.  
  
"Haha! Good one Yuffie! Cloud? Be nice? TO ME?! Yeah right!" Tifa laughed at the thought as she pictured Cloud smiling at her.  
  
"I'm so hungry! I always get hungry at 5 for some reason." Aeris whined as she rocked back and forth on the bench.  
  
"Talk about random." Yuffie joked.  
  
"HOLY SHIT! It's 5?! DARN! I have to be at home and get ready for the dinner party! See you guys there!" Tifa shouted as she hopped off the bench and ran towards her car.

* * *

"Honey! Can you get the door?! It's probably the Gainsboroughs!" Tifa's mom shouted from upstairs.  
  
Tifa ran towards the door and unlocked it. There, stood the last family to arrive for the night. It was Aeris and her mom and dad.  
  
"Come in! Come in!" Tifa beckoned as she opened the door wide enough for the family to step in.  
  
Tifa noticed Aeris was looking especially pretty tonight. She was wearing a fancy sparkly pink blouse with a ruffled black skirt. Tifa looked down at her own clothes which were a pair of bellbottoms and her Favorite Tank top. Everybody was there; Cloud, Vincent, Barret, Cid, Zack and Yuffie.  
  
After everyone was seated, Mr. Lockheart stood up and chimed on his crystal goblet as everyone stopped talking and turned their attention immediately to him.  
  
"Everybody, I'd like to take this opportunity to thank you all for coming on such a special occasion. As you all know, we have a VERY special guest who will be arriving soon. I have known his family for quite a while now and I have a wonderful surprise for my lovely daughter, Tifa Lockheart." Mr. Lockheart smiled brightly at his beautiful daughter  
  
She smiled brightly and turned away. Cloud was practically falling asleep beside her and wasn't listening to a word anyone was saying. He decided he'd waste his time bothering Tifa but her dad was currently looking at them.  
  
'Can they get this over with already? I've got better things to do then to sit around and welcome some guest...' Cloud complained to himself. At the exact same moment this thought ran through Cloud's head, the doorbell rang.  
  
"Oh my! That must be them!" Mrs. Lockheart gasped as she stood up and headed towards the door.  
  
Aeris and Yuffie both threw Tifa a worried expression, wondering why a guest was so important that all families had to be there. But Tifa kept her eyes on the corridor to see the new guest. Seeing Mr.Lockheart was gazing at the corridor as well, Cloud took the opportunity to annoy Tifa.  
  
He slowly grabbed her goblet of fine red wine and took a sip of it while rubbing his mouth all over the glass. He began to take gulps and spit them back into the glass after gurgling it in his mouth.  
  
It wasn't a while longer until the new guest approached the corridor and silence fell upon the dining room. Tifa's smile quickly faded as she stared at the young man standing before her. He was tall, muscular and had fabulous blonde hair, but, unlike Cloud's, his was neatly combed out. He had sparkling blue eyes and a fancy white tux on. Near him stood a plump and elegant man, and beside the man stood an elegant aged blonde, skinny woman.  
  
"Hello...pleased to meet you all...My name is Rufus Shinra."  
  
Before, Cloud was busy playing with Tifa's drink but right before the man introduced himself, Cloud had taken a large gulp of the wine until he heard the name. Cloud's eyes widened in shock and he spit the wine everywhere, including Tifa which seemed to get everyone's attention to him.  
  
"CLOUD YOU ASSHOLE!" Tifa shouted as she stood up and looked at her white yank top which now had red spits everywhere.  
  
"Well, well, well... If it isn't Cloud Strife..."  
  
Everyone's eyes began to dart back and forth from Cloud to this man named Rufus. Cloud gritted his teeth at him and his eyebrows furrowed as he glared at the man. Rufus only let out a devious evil smirk.  
  
"We meet again..."

* * *

A/N: Oh yeah I bet you all hate me now! Leaving you at a cliffhanger like that! At least the mystery man is finally revealed! Well, wait till the next chapter! Things FINALLY begin to get ugly and...how does Cloud know Rufus? Find out in the next Chapter! 


End file.
